By Karenna Glover
Imagine you’re at work, hunger strikes and you decide to pop some popcorn in the breakroom microwave. While you’re there, a coworker leans over and says, “You know making popcorn here is against work policy.” You’re wondering if the coworker’s warning was just a joke, as the microwave beeps signaling cook time has ended. Later that afternoon, you’re called into the boss’s office and asked why you broke HR policy and made popcorn, which the policy states is a fire hazard and can be a nuisance to others.
This scenario was one of many Virginia Western Community College students in the Fralin Futures program had to play out as part of a workshop on navigating workplace challenges. The workshop, facilitated by John Mortenson and Becky Saeger, instructional designers at Carilion Clinic’s Talent Development center, was a first-time event for the Fralin Futures program, and was part of a new focus this year on not just helping students land jobs, but helping them successfully transition into the workforce.
In addition to the popcorn policy scenario, the workshop allowed students to understand some situations they may face at their jobs and collaboratively discuss how they would handle these challenges, like balancing being a team player while advocating for yourself, and what to do if a coworker makes a mistake.
“Instead of telling them how they should react, we put them in situations and let them do the work,” said Mortenson. “They were engaged, had great discussion and feedback. They are a very sharp group.”
Involving local employers, like Carilion Clinic, in the Fralin Futures program has long been a priority, and one that the program’s success coach, Schuyler van Montfrans, hopes to expand.
Initially the program’s focus was on providing resources to ensure students were graduating, based on data that had shown that often students would get close to finishing their degree but could get derailed by financial strains or other stressors. As the program evolved, the focus shifted to helping students get a job with support around resume writing and interview practice and getting professional headshots they can use on LinkedIn for networking.
But new in this fifth year of the program is the focus on navigating the first year on the job, exploring topics such as cultivating relationships with coworkers and supervisors; owning and learning from your mistakes; being coachable and accountable; and providing critical feedback to a coworker.
“We received feedback from employers that there’s a gap between students landing a job, but struggling with the transition and challenges that come with the first year on the job,” van Montfrans said. “The goal is for students to leave with a bank of scenarios that they’ve role-played covering tricky situations they may eventually need to navigate.”
In addition to the workshops and workforce preparation, Fralin Futures offers scholarship funding to STEM-H students for the final two semesters prior to graduation. In 2023-24, just over $224,000 was awarded to 30 students. Since the program was started in 2019, 135 students have participated, and more than $1 million in scholarships has been awarded.
Daniel Juilfs was one of the 2023-24 Fralin Futures Scholars. He went back to school at 34. But even with the work experience he’s had, he found great value in the workplace prep programming. “The things I was originally taught more than 10 years ago about preparing a resume and networking, the best practices have really changed, so having the mock interviews with local employers was very worthwhile and valuable to me.”
Juilfs enrolled in the Information Systems Technology Program to become a software developer. He received funding for this pathway through the G3 program, and put in the work to maintain a 4.0 GPA and take advantage of every opportunity available to him.
Being a Fralin Futures Scholar has provided him an abundance of resources, connection to on-campus support, and a feeling of belonging, Juilfs said.
“Schuyler brought us breakfast for finals, checks in on us regularly, and just goes out of his way to make sure everything is functioning like a well-oiled machine,” he said. “His involvement has made my VWCC experience better, and I value the scholarship on a deeper level because of the investment he makes in each of us.”
Juilfs, who graduated in May 2024, said he may work for a few years and then pursue a bachelor’s degree.
The funding provided by the scholarship allows Fralin Futures students, like Juilfs, to not have to work during their final two semesters, allowing them to focus on their academics and their next step.
(This story was published in the Winter 2025 edition of Impact magazine, a publication of the Virginia Western Community College Educational Foundation.)
